Guj Cong accuses BJP of profiteering through N95 masks sale

Gandhinagar, May 23 (IANS) After raising the issue of Gujarat government procuring inefficient or substandard ventilators by getting local made machines like Dhaman-1, the Congress on Saturday alleged that the ruling BJP government was profiteering through the sale of N95 masks in dire situation like Covid-19.

Amit Chavda, the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president, said, "After the Gujarat chief minister carried out a marketing strategy for his Rajkot friend, by endorsing local Ampu pump as ventilator and thereby playing with the precious lives of people during the Corona outbreak, has now come up with profiteering through N95 masks and looting the public."

"The N95 masks are being sold at Amul parlours across the state, and are being procured by the Gujarat Medical Services Corporation Limited (GMSCL), a government undertaking. The GMSCL had fixed the price of the masks at Rs 49.60 per unit on March 30. Now they are selling the same masks at Rs 65 to the public. Our question to the government is why such profiteering of Rs 15 at a time of crisis like this? Chavda questioned.

"During such crisis, when there should be efforts to avail such masks at minimum prices by doing away with the GST on it, the state government is bent on profiteering, why? For whose gain they are doing such things? The Gujarat chief minister should answer this and explain why are they looting the public?," asked Chavda.